Andrew Lagatta

Andrew “Andy” Lagatta, 79, of Clintonville, passed away on Sunday, July 26, 2020, at his home.

Andrew Vincent Lagatta was born on June 10, 1941, in Bussi sul Tirino, Italy, to Alfredo and Ezia (Barone) Lagatta. At the age of 10, his family moved to America and settled in Milwaukee. He attended Milwaukee schools and graduated with a business degree from UW-Milwaukee. Later, he went on to earn a master’s degree in hospital administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He then served with the Air National Guard in hospital management.

Andy was united in marriage on Dec. 18, 1976, to Carol J. Woelfel in Tisch Mills. In his early days, he started working in hospital administration in Chicago. He continued his career serving as administrator for a number of years at St. Joseph Hospital in Milwaukee and then St. Joseph Hospital in Hillsboro. The couple moved to Clintonville where Andy was employed as administrator at Clintonville Community Hospital until his retirement in 1991.

He was a member of St. Rose Catholic Church, Clintonville. Andy and Carol had some great trips traveling around the country searching for the perfect winter state. They ended up enjoying several years in retirement as “snowbirds” between Clintonville and Athens, Georgia. Andy liked woodworking and he was proud of the process of constructing their homes in Milwaukee and on Cloverleaf Lakes, as well as improving their Athens home.

Andy cherished trips to Italy, listening to opera too loud, eating calamari whenever possible, and getting a good deal on anything that he bought. His grandchildren remember most of all his love of ice cream and watching them dance and play. His children are proud to have inherited his independence and a love of cookbooks. Everyone will cherish their memory of Andy’s wry sense of humor and the way that he worked himself into amusing situations.

Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Carol; and two children, Joanne (Michael) Bieberitz, of Wauwatosa, and Andrew (Amanda) Lagatta, of Minneapolis. There are three grandchildren, Natalie, Elena, and Jacob Bieberitz. He is further survived by a brother, Joseph (Thomas Burant) Lagatta, of Tamarac, Florida; two sisters-in-law, Arlene Woelfel (SSSF), of Milwaukee and El Paso, Texas, and Jan (Bob) Miller, of Sherwood; a brother-in-law, Herbert (Joan) Woelfel, of Chilton; and many other relatives and friends.

Memorial service will be held on Friday, July 31 at 11 a.m. at Beil-Didier Funeral Home, Clintonville, with the Rev. Timothy Shillcox officiating. Visitation will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. until time of service at the funeral home.

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